Houston Texans lead AFC south 4-0 after thrashing division rivals Tennessee Titans 38-14 – NFL Recap
It was another superb teamwork from the Houston Texans that helped them thrash the struggling Tennessee Titans 38-14 in a total American Football Conference (AFC) South showdown at Reliant Stadium on Sunday (September 30).
With offensive and defensive lines contributing equally impressively, the Texans were unstoppable. They dominated the game from beginning to end. Overall, it was their core strategy of retaining possession as much as possible that left their opposition with
only a few opportunities to score.
Offence leader quarterback Matt Schaub led the team right from the front and rest of the players responded up to their potential, making the win easier at the end.
Schaub’s notables were two excellent touchdown passes that strengthened their position at the crucial time. He completed 20 out of total 28 passes for 202 yards. This was another strong show put by the QB.
Running back Arian Foster also had a touchdown to contribute his share as a rusher in the team’s victory.
Also, it was another strong show put up by the team’s defence, thanks to efforts of defensive coordinator Wade Phillips that the Texans still rank as the second top team in the National Football League’s defence rankings chart.
Head coach Gary Kubiak said of the defensive line’s performance:
"We really played great defence, the whole second half. The defensive play in the second was what got us going, the big play."
The Texans were leading by halftime, 14-7, but latter with some fumbles on the offensive line the Titans tried to catch up with the opposition but only to create more opportunities for them in form of turnovers. This indirectly helped the cause of the Texans
and they were back in the game as strong as ever before.
Schaub said of these opportunities:
"It's a nice luxury to have, when you see them make those turnovers. It creates such a lift for us."
The Titans could not give a matching performance despite the fact that running back Chris Johnson was impressive and carried the ball 25 times for total 141 yards. This equals the record of his three previous games combined but yet he failed to help his
side’s victory chances.
He nevertheless was pleased with his form and said:
"It was a pretty good game. We ran the ball. I felt like my offensive line went out there and did a great job from the first snap, just getting up on guys, pushing those guys back, and just giving me somewhere to run."
After making a poor start, Titans’ offence starter QB Jake Locker injured his shoulder, again, and went to the sidelines. He did not return for the rest of the game.
He was duly replaced with QB Matt Hasselbeck, who threw two touchdown passes but again fell short to hopes of the team to provide a befitting reply to the opposition’s attacks.
Coach Mike Munchak apparently disappointed with the team’s efforts so far this season after having started impressively well in his debutant season last year did not say much except for Locker’s injury. He said the player was due to have an MRI scan on the
shoulder, which should determine level of the injury and recovery status.
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